Gift of a Friend
by musicnotes093
Summary: NFA Hangman prize. One quick glance at Ziva's eyes and Abby could easily recognize the feeling of loss in them. So, with the help of Tony and McGee, she thought that it would be a nice idea to visit Ziva and prove to her that she was where she belonged.


_**Author's Note:**__** Hangman prize for a(n?) NFA member, but I also hope that all of you would enjoy this, too! =)**_

_**Disclaimer: **__**NCIS and its characters doesn't belong to me. Neither does Mad Gab. They belong to their rightful owners!**_

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Abby cradled a tin container in her arms as she walked from the elevator to the bullpen. For the third time, she lifted up the lid to make sure that the cookies inside were perfect. After seeing that they were still neatly arranged, she closed the container with a smile. _Awesome, _she thought.

She came to a stop, however, when she saw that Tony wasn't there. Gibbs and McGee were missing, too. She frowned. "Tony said that he was waiting for all of you," she muttered quizzically towards the container. Then, she patted it silently.

Before she could turn around, she noticed Ziva sitting quietly at her desk. In her hands were what seemed to be photographs. Her eyes beheld sadness while she looked upon them. Abby's eyebrows creased. There had been several times wherein she saw Ziva lonely, but this time it was different. Longing and loss abound her face and, maybe, there was also a hint of sorrow in it.

Abby's feet brought her to Ziva's desk before she could protest. The last thing she wanted was to invade Ziva's privacy and get a swift kick in the backside for doing so. "Ziva?" she said.

Upon hearing her name, Ziva quickly stashed the photographs she held to a corner drawer. "Yes, Abby," she responded. The forced smile that came up to her lips did not escape Abby's notice. "What can I help you with?"

"Uh, well…" _What? _"Well, I was just wondering where Tony is," Abby answered, suppressing a sigh of relief to herself. She glanced at the container. "He asked me to make cookies for him, and I, uh, have it here."

"They left for a moment," Ziva said. "They are just helping Agent Cameron's team with something."

"Right." There was something important that she was missing. As far as she knew, she did not forget any significant event today. She wished Ziva's sadness was not caused by a bad news she received, like a member of her family passing away or things of the same sort. But then again, Gibbs or Vance would have told her something, and Ziva would not be at the office at all if that was what happened.

"If you want," Ziva started again, "you can just leave it on his desk."

"Oh. Uh…"

"Do not worry," Ziva laughed forlornly. "I am going to make sure that McGee would stay away from them."

"Th-Thanks," Abby replied and then, she hesitantly placed the container on Tony's desk. "Ziva, are you—Are you okay?"

"Yes. Yes I am, Abby," Ziva mumbled dismissively as she looked up from her computer screen. Her cheeks were flushing pink, and a feigned smile tugged once more at her lips. "Thank you for asking."

Abby nodded slightly. She lied. "No problem." Although puzzled, she walked back to the elevator. She didn't like the idea that she was being too nosy, but she knew she had to step in. By the end of the day, she'd make sure she knew what bothered Ziva.

**……………………………….**

Abby stared at the black door while the three of them waited in the hallway outside Ziva's apartment. The aroma of different food wafted through her nose, and it made her more impatient. "Ziva," she muttered under her breath while tapping her right foot. "Come on."

"Abby. What are we doing here anyways?"

"Tony, it's April 22," Abby answered, glancing at Tony who stood sulking behind her. "I told you already. Her sister died today. Tomorrow's also Ari's death."

"I still don't see any reason why I should volunteer my cookies," Tony mumbled. His grip on the tin container tightened.

"I'm sure Ziva would appreciate them," Abby regarded him with approval. "Plus, I can just make a fresh batch for you tomorrow."

"And for all we know, you'll be the one to eat all of those cookies," McGee added with a grin. Tony glared at him. McGee only raised his eyebrows in response.

The door opened before Tony could counter. Ziva stood in front of them, the expression on her face showing weariness. For a while, she only looked as if she did not recognize any of them. Then, she creased her eyebrows.

"Surprise?" McGee said unsurely when none of them spoke.

"What are you all doing here?" Ziva asked quietly, aware of the stares coming from the three opposite her.

"We're happy to see you too, Ziva," Tony said.

"We brought some food," Abby said hopefully, raising the boxes of pizza in her hands.

"I am not hungry, but thank you," Ziva replied, and then began closing her door.

Abby stepped in between the space, stopping the door with her elbow. "Wait, Ziva. Are you just going to close the door on us?" she asked, looking at her straight in the eyes.

Ziva looked away. Slowly, her hands detached from the door, and she allowed them in. Abby smiled. "Thank you," she said. "Okay. Where do you want these?"

"You can put it on the kitchen counter," Ziva replied quietly, a little embarrassed of what she had done. She watched Tony and McGee proceed towards the dimly lit kitchen with the food, while Abby turned on the slender lamp that stood on the corner. With a sigh, she sat down.

Abby turned towards Ziva. Somehow, it contented her to know why the latter was upset but at the same time, it also made her sympathize. One sweep around the room told her enough. There were no pictures, no plants nor flowers, and there weren't any music. There was almost nothing, and it made things appear detrimental and isolated.

She made her way beside Ziva then, she sat down. "Have you played _Mad Gab _before?" she asked excitedly, taking out the orange and green colored box from the paper bag she brought.

"Mad Gab?" Ziva echoed.

"Yeah. Mad Gab."

"You know," Tony said as he settled down on a recliner chair opposite Abby. " _'Eye-mull-of-ma-sheen' _?"

"What?" Ziva asked.

" _'Eye-mull-of-ma-sheen' _," Tony repeated. Ziva frowned with confusion. " _'Eye-mull—_Look. Let's just play. You'll understand it more when we start."

"We can have two teams," Abby proposed after laying down the cards and the timer in the middle of the small wooden table in front of her. "You and McGee can be partners, and Tony and I will play as partners, too."

"Maybe we should have a sample game," McGee said, then sat beside Ziva. "That way, Ziva can get used to it."

"Okay," Abby shrugged.

Tony snickered. "Oh, probies," he shook his head. "Whatever you do, you two are going to lose."

"We will see about that," Ziva challenged.

"Ooh," Abby chuckled. McGee couldn't help but grin at the mocking glares Ziva and Tony were throwing at each other. "Before you two jump at each other's throats, we'll lay the rules first," Abby stated. "Mad Gab is a phonetics game, so you have to listen carefully. On each turn, a player will have three cards that contain the words that they will say to their partner. The goal is just to guess what the phrases really are and beat the timer to it. The number of correct guesses plus the time left on the timer will be the points earned. Then the team with the most points win."

Tony's eyes were wide, his mouth slightly agape, when Abby finished. "I didn't know I was teamed up with the instructions sheet," he joked.

Abby narrowed her eyes on him. "Tony, stay over there," she said. Ziva stifled a laugh. "So. Are you guys ready?"

"Yeah," McGee and Ziva answered in unison.

McGee picked up the plastic timer then gyrated its pointer to three. "Three minutes," he declared. "Go."

Tony quickly drew out the first card from the holder. "_A pole of her dean?" _he said, frowning at the words. "_A pole of her dean."_

"What?" Abby inquired.

"_Apoleofherdean,_" Tony said.

Abby's eyes lit up. "Oh! Apollo Thirteen!" she jumped ecstatically.

"Yes!" Tony punched his fist in the air, and then threw the card on the table. He took out another card. "Take that, probie!"

Ziva leaned a little closer to McGee. "Is this game supposed to be this exciting?" she whispered, a bewildered expression on her face. McGee shook his head slowly.

"Um, _Ice think?" _

"Yes, Tony. You do," McGee said.

"I stink," Abby muttered disappointedly, unable to recognize the phrase for a while.

"You got it." Tony drew the last card.

"I got it?"

"You got it!" Tony assured. "Okay. Let's see…_Check of old raids._"

Abby creased her eyebrows. "Can you say that faster?"

"_Checkofoldraids._"

"Checkofol…checkof…Check your fall brakes?"

Tony shook his heads. "Checkof—old raids," he repeated.

Abby bit her lip as she thought. Nearby, the timer noisily turned, and it made her irritable. She picked up the box's cover from the floor and placed it on the timer to muffle the noise. "Good," she mumbled. "Tony, say that—" The timer had already stopped then, rudely cutting Abby's request.

"What?! That's not three minutes!"

"I hate that timer," Abby muttered under her breath. "Ziva? McGee? You want to steal?"

McGee and Ziva exchanged glances. "Jack of all trades?" Ziva guessed.

"Yeah. Jack of all trades," admitted Tony unwillingly.

"Alright, Ziva!" McGee held up a hand, to which Ziva happily high-fived to.

"Way to go, Tony," Abby pouted. When she saw the wide smile on Ziva's face, she couldn't help but also smile. The loneliness she had seen in her earlier have diminished into small traces. _Mission accomplished? _she wondered.

"It's just a run-through," Tony reasoned. "That counts for nothing."

"So are we going to play for points now?" Abby asked.

"Can we eat first? I haven't had lunch yet," Tony muttered.

Abby looked at Ziva, who only nodded in response. "I guess," she said.

Tony clapped his hands together greedily, a grin lighting his face, before standing up. "Great! Come on, McGee. You set the plates."

"Why me?" McGee protested.

"Because I said so," Tony answered while he walked towards the kitchen. "Besides, you're a man. Man people set the table."

McGee rolled his eyes but followed Tony nonetheless. Not long after, the sound of the silverware clanking against the plates echoed through the whole apartment. The enticing scent of the pizzas and the warm peach cobbler that McGee brought floated in the air, and the smooth flow of champagne from the bottle to the glasses served as a tune to everyone's ears.

"Maybe I should start helping them," Ziva said, pushing off on the couch so she could stand up.

"Ziva?" Abby halted her.

"Yes?"

Looking at her, Abby could not even imagine what Ziva was going through. She have lost almost everything. Her sister was gone, and Ari, her father that betrayed her…she had nothing. And to know that she always came home to the silence of her apartment? Yes, it may be the way she wanted things, but she couldn't help but think that it made things hurt much deeper.

And she couldn't let her always feel that way.

Abby stood up then, she hugged Ziva tightly. "I will always be your sister, Ziva," she whispered. "Always." Her heart started racing when Ziva didn't reply. She thought that she had made her angry.

However, after a moment, she heard sniffling then, silent sobbing. She held her tighter.

Tears started to blur Abby's sight. She had never been the type of person who would cry when someone else cried. She would like to think that that was how she was. But Ziva was different. She had experienced things that only existed in people's fears. Her family and friends turned their backs on her. She lost loved ones in a war she never waged.

But Abby was sure that all of that would change, because, since she returned from Somalia, she had found her new family.

Her family that would stay by her side through the rest of her life no matter what.

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**Reviews are always loved! =***


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